


I Will Follow You Into the Dark

by miss_grey



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Historical, Angst, Drama, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, One-Shot, hurt!Dean, hurt!castiel, mining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-06
Updated: 2013-07-06
Packaged: 2017-12-17 22:22:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/872613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_grey/pseuds/miss_grey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The walls are caving in.  They're running out of air.</p>
<p>Mining AU featuring Cas and Dean.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Will Follow You Into the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Dean, Cas, Sam, and Gabriel are not mine. Title from Death Cab for Cutie, "I Will Follow You Into the Dark." "The Coal Miner's Prayer" credited to W. Calvert.

 

The Coal Miner's Prayer  
by W. Calvert  
  
Each dawn as we rise, Lord,  
We know all too well,  
We face only one thing –  
A pit filled with hell.  
To scratch out a living  
The best that we can,  
But deep in the heart,  
Lies the soul of a man.  
  
With black-covered faces,  
And hard-calloused hands,  
We work the dark tunnels,  
Unable to stand.  
To labour and toil  
As we harvest the coals,  
We silently pray,  
"Lord, please harvest our souls."

 

 

 

 

 

            He packs his lunch the night before, leaves the house early every day, before the sun comes up, while Sammy is still tucked warm and safe in his bed.  He walks the long road day in, day out, twisting through town, but he’s not alone.  Another set of footsteps join his, synchronized, predictable: they’re never out of step.  They work that well together.

            They don’t talk much on the way to work—never do, but that’s alright, because that’s just how they are.  It’s harder to find someone you can be quiet with. 

When they get to the tunnel, Dean takes a deep breath, savors the taste of the air on his tongue.  It’s a long descent to where they’re going—they may never see the sun.  Dean’s not the praying type, never was, to be honest, since it doesn’t seem to do any good.  But he turns his head to the side, watches, fascinated like he does every day while Cas closes his eyes, tips his head down, makes the sign of the cross.

 

* * *

 

 

 

          The walls are caving in.  The lights…the lights are going out and he can feel himself being smothered, buried deep in the earth.  He’s gonna die, just like his father did.  Crushed to death by tons of rock, closed up underground, just another ghost.  Something crashes into him, knocks him to the ground, and the light on his helmet gutters out.  The growling, grinding rumble of the earth shifting around him finally settles, sealing him in.  Dean tries to push himself up, but his legs are pinned and there’s a weight draped over his chest.  He can’t see anything, but the air is too warm, too close.  He chokes on dust.  He nudges at the weight on his chest and realizes it’s a person.  “Hey,” he coughs.  “Hey, I can’t…breathe.”  The body above him groans, shifts just enough to let Dean push himself up onto his elbows.  He sucks in a breath, hacks.  “Hey man, are you alright?”  Dean reaches out, fingers slide across skin.  “Cas, is that you?”  Another groan, a panted breath.  “Cas, are you okay?”

            The breath stutters, Dean can hear the body shifting in the dark.  “My… my leg is caught.  It’s…..aah….” He gasps.  “Crushed under the rock.”  The space isn’t very big, but Dean manages to maneuver his way out from under Cas, slides his hands down his friend’s leg until he feels the break.  His fingers come away sticky with blood and Cas sucks in a harsh breath, whines low in the back of his throat.

            “I’m sorry, man.  But I gotta see how bad it is.”  His fingers trail further and find that it’s not just one rock…it’s a slew of them, and they’re not just pinning Cas down, they’re holding the other rocks up.  “Fuck,” Dean hisses.

            “How…how bad is it?”  Cas grits from between his clenched teeth.

            “Cas…I’m afraid if I shift them, the whole thing is gonna come down on top of us.”

            “Leave it, Dean.  Try to shift some of the other stones.  Find a way out.”

            “Cas, I’m not leaving here without you man.”

            Cas groans again and Dean can hear him struggling into a sitting position.  “Dean, don’t be stupid.  There’s not enough space here.  We’re going to run out of air.  Soon.”

            Dean reaches forward until he can feel Cas in the dark, pulls their heads together until their helmets click against each other.  “Then we’re just gonna have to calm down, and take steady breaths until we can think of something.”

            “Dean….”

            “Hey,” Dean lets one hand trail down to Cas’s shoulder. “We’re gonna get out of here.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

            “I ain’t afraid to die, Cas.  I’ve been training for it my whole life.”  Dean breathes, cinches Cas’s tourniquet tighter.  “It’s just… Sam.  Didn’t want to leave him, ya know?”

            Cas hisses in a breath, coughs.  “Gabriel would make sure Sam is—ah!—cared for.”  His breath comes in pained gasps.  “You know this.”

            Dean eases back, wipes a hand across his sweaty face.  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

            Dean braces Cas against him, rubs soothing circles on Cas’s chest: it hurts just to breathe now.  “What do you think Heaven’s like?”

            Cas shifts, wincing.  “Mmmm….  It’s light.”

            Dean smiles, even though Cas can’t see it.  “That’s all a miner can ask for, I guess.”  He halts his circular motion, then, “Sounds nice.”  He starts back up again.  “You deserve to go to Heaven, Cas,” Dean whispers against his ear.

            Cas shifts his shoulders, grabs Dean’s hand in his own and turns to face him; Dean knows he’s looking for him, even through the black.  “ _We_ , Dean.  I’m not leaving here without you, either.”  Then he settles back.

 

* * *

 

 

            It’s a long time later—maybe an hour, maybe a year.  The air’s mostly run out.  They don’t have the strength to sit anymore, so they lay next to each other, fingers brushing.  Dean doesn’t have the energy to feel bitter: he always knew this was how it was gonna end, he’s just sorry that Cas also has to be here.

            He drifts then, for a long time.  Wonders if this is what death feels like.

            Then a light shines beyond his eyes and he thinks to himself, “Huh.  Cas was right.”  He squeezes his fingers with the last of his strength, holds on to Cas tight.  And is dimly aware as the light grows brighter still, of a voice calling out, “Quick!  I see them!  They’re here!”


End file.
